His career averages of 18.5 ppg and 12.1 rpg over 16 seasons would likely have been much higher since Schayes was excellent from three-point range, the problem there being that the three-point arc had not been added to the game yet. Schayes was also a great free throw shooter (with a career average of 85% accuracy), as he took to practising on a custom-made basket with a rim diameter of 14" (the normal rim diameter is 18"), in order to ensure his shots went toward the basket at a high angle.

One of the league's most durable players, Schayes played in a record 764 straight games over a ten year span which ended only when he broke his cheekbone. When Schayes retired in 1964, he also held the record for all-time leading scorer (19,247 points). His success at scoring came mostly from the fact that he was an ambidexterous shooter, which had developed as a result of his breaking his right hand and then having to rely on his left.